Maryland to Host Catholic in Exhibition Sunday

Maryland Athletics

11-1-2013

COLLEGE PARK, Md. –Mark Turgeon and the 2013-14 Maryland men’s basketball team debut against Catholic in their lone exhibition Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Comcast Pavilion.

Turgeon returns 12 letterwinners to a Terrapin team that won 25 games and advanced to the NIT semifinals a season ago. Among the returners are Dez Wells (13.1 ppg), Nick Faust (9.4 ppg) and Charles Mitchell (5.4 rpg).

The team has practiced since the beginning of September and has had a pair of scrimmages open to the public, but this will mark the first true test against opposing competition.

“We’ve had some opportunities to play in front of crowds at Maryland Madness and in open scrimmages,” Turgeon said. “However, this is a great step for us prior to the start of the season.”

The Terps fell on hard luck Tuesday night when starting point guard Seth Allen fractured his left foot at practice. Expected to miss 10 weeks, Allen will be replaced at point guard by Wells Sunday.

“Dez is going to be the starting point guard on Sunday against Catholic,” Turgeon said. “Everybody is going to have to step up and do a little more. We are further along though because we had the summer tour in the Bahamas.”

Turgeon brought in a pair of highly touted local recruits in 6’3” guard Roddy Peters (District Heights, Md.) and 6’9” forward Damonte Dodd (Centreville, Md.). The duo is joined by sharpshooting junior Evan Smotrycz (Michigan), who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Maryland opens its regular season slate Friday, November 8 as it takes on No. 18 Connecticut at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

The Maryland-Catholic radio broadcast will be available on 570AM in Washington and 1300AM in Baltimore.